Tackling Food Insecurity through Community-Driven Solutions

The Impact of Food Insecurity on Sacramento County

Sacramento, California, is the "Farm to Fork Capital" of the United States—yet 11.8% of us are food insecure (Feeding America, 2024). One of the contributing factors is the presence of food deserts, which are “geographic areas where residents’ access to affordable, healthy food options is restricted or nonexistent due to the absence of grocery stores within convenient traveling distance” (Food Empowerment Project, 2017). Within our county, there are three deserts: North, East, and South Sacramento.

The non-profit Alchemist Community Development Corporation (CDC), located in Sacramento, mission is to “connect the community to land, food, and opportunity” (Alchemist CDC, 2024). One of Alchemist’s approaches to tackling food insecurity is through hosting Community Meal Nights in partnership with Chef Regina Range, executive chef and owner of The Burnt Skillet, at the Motel 6 (Sacramento). Residents of this motel are individuals who are unhoused and are receiving temporary respite. Each month, Chef Range prepares recipes designed to accommodate the needs of food insecure communities and teaches these families how to prepare nutritious meals. Our very first service-learning experience was at Community Meal Nights, where we understood that addressing food insecurity is a dual approach. First, these nights reduce the impact of food insecurity by increasing access to fresh produce and connecting individuals with community resources like River City Food Bank. Second, Chef Range teaches families how to maximize the produce, empowering them to create healthy meals through sustainable habits.

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Figure 1. Our 1st Community Meal Night on 09/03/2024

The Cookbook: Very easy. Very simple. Very good.

Early on, we recognized that while it is important to consider what you are eating, it is equally important to think about how food is prepared. This sentiment was also expressed by Chef Range when we were interviewing her, and she shared a great example. Baked potatoes have several key nutrients, such as fiber, vitamins, and complex carbohydrates. Chef Range stated that this nutrient-rich version of potatoes can help fuel the body and prevent the commonly known “sugar crash” feeling. On the other hand, potato chips have a higher percentage of unhealthy fats and sodium, meaning that they are nutritionally poor. She explains this concept at each Community Meal Night to teach families that healthy eating is not only about access to food but preparing it in a way that retains its nutritional value.

 At one of the Community Meal Nights, while passing out ingredients, we were talking to a mother of 2 toddlers. She shared that she recreates the chicken cacciatore recipe that Chef Range taught a few weeks ago. Instead of choosing fast food, the mother chose to prepare this recipe for her family because it is a healthier option. She explained that she felt empowered

because of the tools, resources, and support that she gained through Chef Range and the Alchemist program. This instance showed us both the tangible and intangible impacts that these nights were having on families, food insecurity, and shaping community health.

 Over the semester, we engaged in Community Meal Night experiences and conversations with Chef Range and Alejandro Gomez (Alchemist’s Community Food Connections (CFC) Specialist), and Robustelli. It was Robustelli who proposed the idea of creating a cookbook, which inspired us to make a digital cookbook called Very easy, Very simple. Very good. We compiled all of the simple, healthy recipes shared at these Community Meal Nights. They are based on the produce and shelf-stable items available in the Alchemist Food Bank, allowing Chef Range and Gomez to transform these ingredients into nutritious and delicious meals. Additionally, the recipes have been specifically designed to address barriers, such as limited access to kitchen appliances. We believe that this book can be a sustainable resource for families. Ultimately, these recipes are easily accessible in a digital format, which helps support Alchemist’s initiative to connect the Sacramento community to food.

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Figure 2. Families of Motel 6 preparing and eating chicken cacciatore

Small to Big Impact

The concepts of food insecurity and food deserts that once felt abstract to us became tangible. Through listening to residents’ stories and participating in Community Meal Nights, we better understood the food landscape of Sacramento. What began as a service commitment showed us the small to big impact that community-centered approaches can have. For instance, if it was not for Alchemist members and local residents, we would not have discovered our project. It is their perspectives and contributions that helped us to develop a meaningful and relevant initiative for our community. This experience has changed how we wish to practice as physicians, to not only focus on problem solving but to also integrate ourselves into patients’ life and better understand them. As Dr. Jay Baruch, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, said, we “need to know the anatomy of a patient’s story just as much as the anatomy of the human body” (Krisberg, 2017).

We will carry the lessons from our service-learning experience into the future, building them into every conversation, patient interaction, and community solution we contribute to.

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Figure 3. Our service-learning class at Community Meal Night on 10/03/2024

(From left to right: Bill Carr, Amulya Tippireddy, Alejandro Gomez, Neil Sohal, Shriya Vejendla, Pari Patel, Alexandra Greenleaf. & Chef Regina Range)